Hi Safranim, a few weeks ago I posed a question about library services for religious school classes, and I’ve compiled below the answers I received. I thought you might be interested. – Heidi ------------------
For those of you working with religious school (not day school), what do you do beyond storytime and discussion when classes come in to visit the library? Especially looking for thoughts on engaging upper elementary and middle school kids. Thanks! Heidi Rabinowitz he...@cbiboca.org<mailto:he...@cbiboca.org> I see preschool through 5th grade classes on Sunday mornings in addition to monthly preschool storytimes. I do read stories but also sometimes do more specific curriculum enhancing reading and discussions with students. I often pull books related to a specific topic they are studying as I have access to the curriculum and email scheduled teachers each week. Sometimes we have some “show and tell” with historical books, Talmud, a book with great photos, other synagogues, etc. I also do book talking for 4th and 5th graders and try to “auction” off books. I’m trying to encourage students to add their book reviews and ratings to the catalog; and a couple of teachers have reserved some class time to follow up and do that with students. Some years, I have tried Jewish Book Month read-a-thons or reading “contests” but my limited hours prevent me from really promoting and doing a good job on that kind of programming. We occasionally have a book author come and selected classes (grades) get to go. We are gearing up for more programming this year but I’m not yet sure how I will be able to manage adding that to my plate. Wish I could see 6th and up, but there is no time in their crunched curriculum to add library. I am often asking about the possibility of a book club elective. Also, I would love to have an online book discussion with middle schoolers – perhaps that is something to try during Jewish Book Month one year. Toby Toby Harris, Librarian I have reading incentive programs for grades 1-6. Sefer Safari for grades 1-3, which has been in effect here for at least 20 years, (i.e. began before my time..) programs for 4, 5, 6-- at least 2 of them borrowed from Rachel Kamin. 5th graders do Reading Tic Tac Toe (different genres in each square of the tic tac toe board. Prizes are coupons to Graeter's Ice Cream); Sydney Taylor Club for 6th graders (also from Rachel, I think), and my own "Eitz Fun to Read for Israel" for 4th grade, whose curriculum is Israel -- books read get leaves on class tree (eitz), plus monthly drawing for Target gift card, plus Sisterhood gives $5.00 per leaf; students who have leaves on the tree meet w/ me at year end and choose a tzedakah case in Israel to send the money. storytime and/or book talks accompany all our reading incentive programs. With tie-ins to curriculum, our school's "value of the month" or whatever else will work. Without programming, there'd be almost no circulation these days. Andrea Rapp Book talks, play reading, reader’s theater, monologue given by librarian, singing, poetry-all ideas. Ellen Share, Librarian, Washington Hebrew Congregation We don't do a whole lot, though someone reads stories to the little guys. But once a month I meet with the 4th-7th grades separately. My goal in those short sessions is to introduce the kids to general Jewish literature, so we read aloud and discuss stories and/or poems by noted authors such as I.L. Peretz and I.B. Singer, with some info on their lives, the Yiddish language, their themes and how they relate to Jewish values, etc. I also introduce the kids to stock characters, such as the fools of Chelm and the righteous man in the guise of a beggar, and I like to do something on humor. (Whatever engages those rascals!) Occasionally I'll talk about a contemporary middle grade or Y.A. book to bring up discussion topics. Oh, and one other thing I do at the beginning of each school year for the 4th and 5th graders is a "treasure hunt" through the library. I give them a list of things to find, and they work in pairs to fill out their list. It's a pretty lively activity! Though I'm a professional librarian (retired now to write full time), like the rest of our "staff," I'm a volunteer so I don't get to meet with the kids as often as I'd like to. Still, we do what we can, eh? Good luck! Lois Ruby Congregation Albert - Albuquerque, NM Please share your treasure hunt with the list. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be inspired by what you're doing. Emily Bergman Temple Sinai Glendale, CA Thanks for asking, Emily. Here's a list I used with 4th grade partners who had 20 minutes to find the treasures, with a couple of "gimme" questions to keep them interested and to make it fun (while it's also constructive): TREASURE HUNT 1. Title of a cookbook for Passover 2. Call number of a book about bar/bat mitzvah 3. In TEEN section, title of a graphic novel 4. Any book with 5 words in the title 5. How many volumes of the Zohar do we have? (Hint: blue covers, REFERENCE) 6. Title of any little kids’ picture book with more than 3 copies 7. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? 8. Title of a book by a local author (Extra points if it's by a local rabbi!) 9. How many DVD’s are on the shelf? Name one of them 10. Title of a book about a Jewish holiday that occurs in the fall season 11. Title of any book in the HUMOR section 12. What’s a movie you've seen more than 3 times? Do we have a copy in our collection? Yes? No? If No, Why not? 13. What color is the book jacket of the novel The Chosen? (Hint: FICTION) 14. Find one book in the JUVENILE section that is also in your school library. Title?: 15. Title of a book about the Yiddish language 16. Did Moses have a last name? Yes? No? If No, give him one! THANKS FOR PLAYING - Come back often! Heidi, We had the students take a book and design a different cover or illustrate a scene from the book. Others made posters to promote the Jewish Book Month. We have an art display area outside of the library. Others had to write an interview with a character from a book as if they are TV host. They performed it to the class later. It made it possible for a class discussion, mostly, on Holocaust books close to the Holocaust Memorial Day. It was a long time ago..... Amalia
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